Wednesday, December 19, 2012

It feels like it has been a long hard trip, but today I start packing my stuff, sorting and deciding what I'm leaving here for my return in January and what I'm bringing home with me. I'd be more tempted to leave nearly everything here, but I did that last spring thinking I'd be back in Istanbul in 2 weeks, but then ended up staying home for over 4 months (I'm not complaining, it was an amazing summer.) It did, however, mean I spent all summer without my favorite pair of shoes and a few other necessities. So today I'm trying to find a balance of how much baggage I want to carry home with me and what I want to leave behind.

It struck me that we all make decisions about what type of life baggage we want to hold on to and what we want to let go of every single day. As I get older and gain a bit more experience, I find myself letting go of more and more and I'm discovering life is easier when I'm not carting around any of the emotional baggage that weighs me down.

Monday, December 17, 2012

I'm starting this post on a Saturday morning, knowing I only have a few minutes before I have to leave from the office and I realize that the last time I had a weekend where I didn't work it was on this trip to Vienna. I think I keep posting the photos of the trip because it takes me back to a fun, relaxing time. Something that has been a bit in short supply lately.

The project I'm working on has been brutal - full of impossible timelines and pressure, and yet I find it oddly invigorating and empowering, I'm not quite sure what that says about my sanity!

I have started counting down days until I'm headed home for the holidays, ok, to be honest I'm nearly to the point of counting hours! It will be so amazing to see my family and to have a few days of down time.

Any one else out there traveling home for the holidays? Any tips for making the trip home more sane? I spend a lot of time on planes and at airports, but this time of year it is even crazier than usual.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I'm usually too shy to take photos of other people - but there were a few faces in Vienna I just had to get brave enough to capture. How about you, are you a brave street photographer, or are you more like me - love it when you get home with pics of interesting people, but feel the need to sneak each one of those photos, hoping no one will notice you snapping?

The secret to this photo? I cropped out a guy using his iPad to take photos....for some reason I find it so odd to see someone holding something that big and using it as a camera.

I'd like to be as chic as this girl someday....

I know this one is blurry - and it is still one of my favorite photos taken in Vienna, it just makes me smile.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Work has completely taken over life here in Istanbul. When your time sheet tallies into the triple digits that isn't time for much beyond sleep, which is my excuse for basically ignoring blog land. Still I have some photos left from Vienna, 15 minutes before the bus comes for me and a dream of getting outside the 4 walls of my office and apartment in just two short weeks.

I think the last time I counted down til Christmas (when this work deadline will be wrapped up) this eagerly since I was a kid.

I'm not big on Christmas music (what a grinch) but Joni Mitchell's River seems to get played at least once a day.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

I spent part of my afternoon in Vienna in this beautiful park. I did a bit of people watching and just enjoyed being outside on a crisp fall day. I sat on the benches near this tree, which to me, looked like it had its arms open to embrace the world.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Today's post is one with a glimpse inside Vienna's beautiful St Stephens and a post of very few words. With a looming deadline at work all my words and thoughts are focused there, as we work to finish in time to get us all home for the holidays.